PC Building

[TheInfoaddict]

It says on the MSI box and here on the AMD website that the recommended Power supply is 350 watts for the RX6400.

That is expecting a CPU of "x."

The CPU I have is i5 12400 which is very low in TDP.:65 watts at base, to max boost of 117 watts. The RX6400 is 53 watts. With other stuff of marginal requirements, can a 300 watt power supply be used in this situation?

Ty in advance for your comments / knowledge. 

[elstaci]

I don't recommend getting a lower PSU unit than the Minimum PSU Requirement.

In fact if you can get a higher Metal Rated PSU it is even better to future proof your PC in case you upgrade to a higher wattage CPU or GPU or add more hardware to your PC.

PSU is one of your most important hardware. So it is best to get the Highest quality PSU with a higher wattage than 350 Watts that you can afford in your budget.

[TheInfoaddict]

TY for the known recommendation.

I would not be asking the question if I did not have the i5 12400 which is distinctly low in TDP v. other processors. In making the min PSU recommendation of 350 W, on this site, what CPU are they engineering in to these requirements?  My PC came with a 300 W PSU. Upgrading it will be difficult for a number of reasons. 

MSI back of box with respect to AMD RX6400 recommended 350 w power supply. The couched words I am trying to validate. 

[elstaci · Accepted solution]

If you can't upgrade your PSU then your PC should work normally with the PSU you have installed.

I my opinion if you just were using a IGPU from a Processor without a GPU Card your PSU will fine under any loads with that setup.

But you will find out later on if your GPU and CPU or both are under heavy loads whether your PSU will be able to provide the correct power under those conditions.

GPU can generate power spikes that can crash your PSU if under-powered which is one reason for having a higher wattage Minimum PSU ratings.  

But I otherwise I see no problem using a 300 watt PSU with your GPU under normal conditions.

You can test your PC by downloading OCCT and run the PSU Test. That will show you if your PSU will crash due to being under-powered or not. The OCCT PSU Test runs both the CPU and GPU at maximum loads putting the maximum load on the PSU. Of course your PC will never reach those conditions.

EDIT: Went to this CPU-GPU PSU Calculator this is the results: https://www.whatpsu.com/psu/cpu/Intel-Core-i5-12400/gpu/AMD-Radeon-RX-6400

[TheInfoaddict]

Ty very much for the links and research. It appears that I have a shot at doing this upgrade. In streaming, in multitasking browsers - in the background browser, the stream was faulty. In the foreground was a low demand online game (no big graphics requirements), using multiple tabs. This I am trying to stop, hence the discrete GPU v. the IGPU. Thanks again.

[elstaci]

If your PC is a Pre-Built PC that came with no separate GPU card than that explains the low PSU watt unit you have installed.

Unless you have a Dell or HP Pre-Built PC or something similar then it might come with its own Propriety PSU. But even then the OEM Manufacturer might still have an upgrade that you can install.

But if you have a 3rd party Pre-Built PC like IBUYPOWER PC than that normally comes with a 3rd party PSU that you can easily upgrade.

If you post your Make & Model of your Pre-Built PC I might be able to tell if your PSU is a special OEM PSU or a regular PSU unit.

[TheInfoaddict]

TY for the reply.

It is an ACER Aspire 1760 ES12.

I have installed the MSI AMD 6400 in the PC and so far so good. No anomalies. The unit is as quiet as it was before. Fan of PSU running about 40% of max. GPU under my normal activity showing 4 w. Stressing it with OCCT, had the GPU hit 5 w. I think I will be fine 🙂

My eyes are liking the colours and the casting from the PC to the TV. The 

[TheInfoaddict]

I am now running the OCCT PSU test ... the PSU fan shot up to the max ...  the GPU consumption is at 43 w in the overlay I have up. Will see if it survives.

It survived. 🙂 

Ty to all the contributors here.  Life is good! 

PS the GPU PWR is oscillating between 3-4 and rarely to 5 w at my expected "base" use. Likely this GPU will show up in lots of "base" PCs with a PSU of 300 w i5 12400 like processors, and be fine (prediction).